Violence following the death of an immigrant

FOUR people have been arrested in Roquetas de Mar following the death of a 42-year-old man from Guinea Bissau in the early hours of Christmas Day.

At the time of writing, the alleged killer, a gypsy man in his early 20s, had not been arrested.

The four sub-Saharan detainees had been involved in acts of vandalism protesting his death, which reportedly occurred following a traffic altercation. 

The Guardia Civil have not ruled out further arrests as it is not known how many people were involved in the man’s death. More than 100 officers were brought to the area to prevent any uprisings which were feared following the incident.

The victim’s body was found with stab wounds to the stomach in Calle Valle de Orotava. 

The Government Sub-Delegate in Almeria, Andres Garcia Lorca, said that the situation in the area is ‘normal’. He also said that there had been special surveillance outside the homes of gypsy families. 

He pointed out that despite there being 3,000 sub-Saharan immigrants in the town, there had been minor disturbances. Other reports suggest that two Local Police officers were injured and several patrol cars were damaged.

Seven years ago there was a similar incident in Roquetas de Mar following the death of a Senegalese man. However, the Mayor, Gabriel Amat, who met with the victim’s relatives, said that there are 110 nationalities living in the town but that there are very rarely any problems. 

He also pointed out that the alleged attackers are not residents of the town.